https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...-12-months-waving-chopper-and-knife-policemen
Former security guard jailed 12 months for waving chopper and knife at policemen
By Wong Pei Ting
Reuters file photo
Published21 February, 2018
Updated 21 February, 2018
SINGAPORE — A father-of-four who brandished a chopper and a knife at police officers was sentenced to 12 months’ jail on Wednesday (Feb 21).
On August 17 last year, police were summoned to former security guard Ganesan Alagappan’s Jurong West flat by his wife after he broke a domestic exclusion order restricting him from entering the master bedroom of their home.
Alagappan, 47, who was fighting his wife for custody of their four children, had brandished the weapons at two policemen who arrived to conduct investigations at the divorcing couple’s house, and uttered in Tamil: “You have gun. I have knife. I can do something with this knife.”
A Singaporean permanent resident who hails from India, Alagappan pleaded guilty to three charges earlier this month.
The charges were for committing criminal intimidation by holding up the knives in his kitchen, using criminal force against a public servant by using his hands to forcefully slap away the revolver that was pointed at him, and attempting to voluntarily cause hurt to a police officer by swinging a plastic box at the officer in his living room.
Four other charges were taken into consideration for the purposes of sentencing on Wednesday. Two charges were for an incident on March 14 last year, when he hit his son, who was protected by a personal protection order, on the forearm with a spanner.
Alagappan’s altercations with the police last August escalated from two calls his wife, Ms Ganesan Kalaimani, 39, made to the police – one at 8.45am when she told the police her husband was “giving (her) problems”, and another at 11am because he stepped inside the master bedroom to take photos.
Sergeant Kumaraval Ananthan and Corporal Kor Zhe Ming, a full-time National Service police officer, attended to the family dispute both times at their flat in Block 156 Yung Loh Road.
Twenty minutes after the police arrived for the second time, Alagappan got impatient and attempted to leave the flat, as he said he had a family court appointment.
However, the officers did not allow him to leave the flat. They explained that they had to carry out preliminary investigations as a police report had just been lodged and the couple was giving conflicting accounts.
After failing to push aside a police officer who was standing in the doorway, Alagappan rushed towards a plastic box on the floor, picked it up and attempted to swing it at Mr Kumaraval.
Alagappan then went to the kitchen and picked up a 30cm-long chopper and a 21cm-long kitchen knife. This prompted the policemen to draw their weapons as they warned him to calm down, and to put away his weapons.
Alagappan obliged, forcefully throwing the knives onto the kitchen countertop. But as he was walking out of the kitchen, he used his hands to slap away the revolver Mr Kor was pointing at him.
Mr Kumaraval discharged his taser twice to subdue him, before they could get him to comply with the investigations.
Seeking a lighter sentence for her client, Alagappan’s lawyer Bernice Leong Huiqi pointed to his “unique state of mind” when his offences were committed.
She said that Alagappan was “unusually emotionally charged on the day of the offence”, which was due to the “undeniable” animosity between him and his wife.
He was also anxious to attend a case conference at the Family Justice Courts that day as he had missed a court appointment once, lending their child custody case in his wife’s favour, she added.
Alagappan’s 12-month jail sentence was backdated to August 19 last year, the day he was remanded.
Former security guard jailed 12 months for waving chopper and knife at policemen
By Wong Pei Ting
Reuters file photo
Published21 February, 2018
Updated 21 February, 2018
SINGAPORE — A father-of-four who brandished a chopper and a knife at police officers was sentenced to 12 months’ jail on Wednesday (Feb 21).
On August 17 last year, police were summoned to former security guard Ganesan Alagappan’s Jurong West flat by his wife after he broke a domestic exclusion order restricting him from entering the master bedroom of their home.
Alagappan, 47, who was fighting his wife for custody of their four children, had brandished the weapons at two policemen who arrived to conduct investigations at the divorcing couple’s house, and uttered in Tamil: “You have gun. I have knife. I can do something with this knife.”
A Singaporean permanent resident who hails from India, Alagappan pleaded guilty to three charges earlier this month.
The charges were for committing criminal intimidation by holding up the knives in his kitchen, using criminal force against a public servant by using his hands to forcefully slap away the revolver that was pointed at him, and attempting to voluntarily cause hurt to a police officer by swinging a plastic box at the officer in his living room.
Four other charges were taken into consideration for the purposes of sentencing on Wednesday. Two charges were for an incident on March 14 last year, when he hit his son, who was protected by a personal protection order, on the forearm with a spanner.
Alagappan’s altercations with the police last August escalated from two calls his wife, Ms Ganesan Kalaimani, 39, made to the police – one at 8.45am when she told the police her husband was “giving (her) problems”, and another at 11am because he stepped inside the master bedroom to take photos.
Sergeant Kumaraval Ananthan and Corporal Kor Zhe Ming, a full-time National Service police officer, attended to the family dispute both times at their flat in Block 156 Yung Loh Road.
Twenty minutes after the police arrived for the second time, Alagappan got impatient and attempted to leave the flat, as he said he had a family court appointment.
However, the officers did not allow him to leave the flat. They explained that they had to carry out preliminary investigations as a police report had just been lodged and the couple was giving conflicting accounts.
After failing to push aside a police officer who was standing in the doorway, Alagappan rushed towards a plastic box on the floor, picked it up and attempted to swing it at Mr Kumaraval.
Alagappan then went to the kitchen and picked up a 30cm-long chopper and a 21cm-long kitchen knife. This prompted the policemen to draw their weapons as they warned him to calm down, and to put away his weapons.
Alagappan obliged, forcefully throwing the knives onto the kitchen countertop. But as he was walking out of the kitchen, he used his hands to slap away the revolver Mr Kor was pointing at him.
Mr Kumaraval discharged his taser twice to subdue him, before they could get him to comply with the investigations.
Seeking a lighter sentence for her client, Alagappan’s lawyer Bernice Leong Huiqi pointed to his “unique state of mind” when his offences were committed.
She said that Alagappan was “unusually emotionally charged on the day of the offence”, which was due to the “undeniable” animosity between him and his wife.
He was also anxious to attend a case conference at the Family Justice Courts that day as he had missed a court appointment once, lending their child custody case in his wife’s favour, she added.
Alagappan’s 12-month jail sentence was backdated to August 19 last year, the day he was remanded.
